


To walk the path of hope

by Lizardbeth



Series: To walk the path of hope [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Avenger Loki (Marvel), Avengers Feels, Canon Divergence - Avengers (2012), Canon Divergence - Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Fix-It, Gen, Loki (Marvel) Angst, Not Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant, Redemption, Thor (Marvel) is a Good Bro, Time Travel Fix-It
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-09
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2020-10-13 13:43:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 21,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20583446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lizardbeth/pseuds/Lizardbeth
Summary: Thor must go back in time to change the future, by getting Loki's help before the Battle of New York.Part One: Assemble





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was started about a million years ago as a sort of IW/Endgame speculation fic as a present for a follower giveaway at my Tumblr (lizardbeths @tumblr.com). But then IW was... depressing so I didn't want to work on it. But now, I've stopped giving af about canon.
> 
> This utilizes more of a Quantum Leap/Days of Future Past-type time travel, than actual canon (see also, not giving af). 
> 
> Enjoy!

* * *

Thor shut the hatch behind him, and when he turned around, he couldn’t help but see the containment room, brightly lit among the darker walkways. As he approached, he inhaled a deep breath to try to settle himself.

The mental transfer meant he would still look the same to Loki, and he was glad to get his eye back. If he could do this without revealing the future, so much the better. He’d had little choice but to reveal the truth to the humans, since the transfer had happened in plain view of the mortals and been rather more visible than he had expected. But he’d bulled his way through the explanations and their doubt to get to this moment, because it was necessary.

_There is only one path I see, _Strange had told Stark. _Loki is the focus to changing the course of time. Someone must go back_. 

Of course it had to be Thor. It was a one-way trip, and Thor had nothing to lose and everything to gain by inhabiting his past self and trying to create a new timeline.

Finally he stood before the glass, and Loki lifted his head to look back, on the other side. Thor’s eyes roved his face eagerly. He was alive. Perhaps not wholly well, but still… this was before grief and loss, before the pretense of being Odin, before the arrival of Hela and Sakaar, had all left their mark.

_How did I ever think this was right? _Thor wondered, staring at Loki trapped behind the glass. _How did I not stop to think about why?_

Loki stared at him, unblinking eyes glittering in the bright light. “So… the spider failed. Now you come to me to...to do what? Warn me that you can’t protect me from them?” he asked. “They intend to hurt me and there is nothing you can do to stop them unless I tell you about the tesseract?”

The silky cold words slid around Thor, unheeded. They didn’t mean anything, because Thor knew the truth this time.

When his accusation found no reaction, a flicker of a frown passed over his face, and Loki stood up to stalk to the glass, directly opposite Thor. His head cocked a little and his frown returned. “There’s something… different about you, _brother,” _the scathing word dripped from his tongue, but Thor didn’t care because Thor remembered other words,

“_I, Loki, prince of Asgard, Odinson…”_

He wrenched his thoughts away from that lest his desperate grief overcome him. It was good to note that Loki, even while being suborned by Thanos, was still observant and clever to notice this Thor standing before him had changed.

But bandying words was Loki’s game, and Thor didn’t have time to play it. Time to cut to the end. “I know,” he said abruptly.

Loki twitched before he recovered, and a slow smile spread across his face. “Oh? You know something? Well, that’s a surprise, you usually know so very little.”

“Yes,” Thor agreed steadily, and Loki’s gaze flickered at the admission. “It’s true. There’s much I did not know, Loki, what I never understood about what you felt in Asgard. And I do want to talk about all that and find our way back to being brothers. I missed you when I thought you dead.” _And when I knew you were dead. “_But I know now where you were. I know about the madman. I know about Thanos.”

Loki flinched and his eyes immediately snapped to the side, as if he expected to find someone there. His posture went rigid, and for a second he didn’t move at all. He let out a sound that probably was supposed to be a careless laugh, but emerged too high-pitched and nervous. He whirled, turning his back. “You know nothing,” he answered and sneered, “As always.”

“This time, brother, I know more than you do,” Thor replied softly. “I know the tesseract is in New York. I know what the scepter is.”

He turned, eyes glinting with an avarice that felt unnatural. “It is _power_.”

“It’s the Mind Gem,” Thor said.

Loki’s eyes went wide and he staggered back a step. He hadn’t known, Thor realized then; he hadn’t known what he carried.

“You lie,” Loki accused but discarded the idea immediately, knowing it was true. the revelation seemed to hit like Mjolnir, right to his chest, and all the color went out of his face under the bright light. “No. No, that cannot – I – How--” He stumbled blindly backward until his boot caught the wall and he collapsed back on the small bench. “The Mind Gem.” He stared blankly, not seeing Thor or the Helicarrier. “That’s why… I couldn’t stop him. Sifting my memories, finding the worst ones, again and again...” he whispered. He reached up and tugged at his hair. He’d tried to flatten it so hard the ends were curling up in a spiky look he would despise if he could see it, and pushing his fingers through the stiff strands at his temples loosened some to fall across his face. “They changed, I knew they changed, but I don’t remember what they were.”

Thor shut his eyes pained, remembering that, too. _I remember you tossing me into an abyss_. What Thor had ignored as ‘madness’, had been true, because someone else had twisted his memories.

Loki lowered his hands to look at them as if they belonged to someone else, turning his wrists and flexing his fingers to watch them. “I thought I was strong.” He shook his head once, letting out a laugh that sounded more like a sob caught in his throat.

Thor knew what Thanos was like from Gamora and Nebula now, though it was enough to see Loki’s distant stare and shaking hands.

Thor put a hand flat on the glass. “Loki, look at me. I’m here. I can help you.”

Loki’s head lifted slowly until his eyes met Thor’s. There was no hope in them. “No. No one can. He’ll come. Without me, he’ll still come. You don’t understand what he is.”

“I do. I’ve learned … a lot, since I saw you last.” Which to Loki was less than a day, but to Thor was years and a lifetime ago. _I learned that we can only stop all of it by helping you._

“We can stop him, Loki. We can, I know how. But I need your help.”

The laugh that time was sharp and disbelieving. “You think I can help _you_? There’s nothing I can do to stop any of it. It’s too late. It was too late when I came to this benighted hellscape of a world. It was too late when Thanos found out it has two Infinity Stones. He will come and burn this world to ash and there is nothing you can do to stop it!”

Thor hated how Loki’s voice turned ragged as it rose. Because it was fear doing that to his brother, and the Loki before Thanos had never showed fear of anything. He was always scrappy with a quip and a grin, before he threw a dagger in the enemy’s face. But not fearful, and not despairing.

_If only I had confronted you about the year you were missing the first time around, none of this might have happened._

“Not me alone,” Thor agreed, though he recalled slamming Stormbreaker in Thanos’ chest and thought that had been pretty close to stopping Thanos. Next time, his head. But that wasn’t the goal right now. “You and I together can stop him. With the mortals.” Loki snorted. Thor almost smiled and reassured him, ”They have power, more than you know, but so do you, Loki. So do I. Mother said it best,” his voice broke, remembering she was still alive this time, he would have to make sure he changed that fate also. “You and I work best together, not apart. We can defeat him.”

“You’re a fool,” Loki said, but he sounded weary, not scathing, so Thor thought he could try again.

“We have two Gems; he has none. Surely that gives us the advantage.”

“Advantage? You really are a fool,” Loki snapped back but the clever part of his mind kicked in as he considered the idea. He leaned back, gaze up at the ceiling and tapped his fingers on his trousers. Then his eyes met Thor’s. “You realize what you ask? If he lives through this-- and there is nothing that can kill him that I know of – he promised – he will find me.”

_He did, Loki; he will. Which is why he has to die._

Thor remembered crawling to Loki’s body and had to look away so Loki wouldn’t see. He kept his voice as level as he could. “I understand. It won’t come to that.” His hands clenched tightly, and he said, vowing to Loki directly, “I won’t let that happen.”

“Thor.” Loki returned to the glass to look Thor in the eye. “Let me make this clear. I would rather be _dead_ than return there,” he said, voice soft but intense. He meant it. “I will kill myself, I swear.”

_Not if he kills you first, _Thor thought, heart aching at the memory, but he nodded once. ”I won’t let it happen, Loki, I promise you. We will stop him.”

Loki peered into his face before turning away, folding his arms. “Fine. Here is how I help you: if you know where the tesseract is, then put the scepter into the portal once it’s made. It will collapse.”

“You know about the flaw?” Thor blurted, surprised.

His smile was thin and humorless. “Always put a door into your working, so it can’t be used against you. Basic rule of sorcery. I’m curious how you know about it though?” he gazed at Thor, eyes narrowed suspiciously..

Thor cast around for an explanation. “Selvig.”

“Ah.” Loki accepted the answer and brought his hands together to rub a thumb over his opposite hand. After a moment, he shrugged his shoulders. “If you already knew that, what do you want from me?”

“To fight at my side once more,” Thor declared. “To battle these invaders and Thanos and his minions. To avenge yourself on them.”

Loki lacked enthusiasm for that, merely gazing back at Thor as if he thought there was a snare in Thor’s words. But Thor was confident with Loki revealing the flaw in the portal that his brother was no longer doing Thanos’ bidding. So he turned around, walked straight to the control panel, and found the button to open the cylinder.

The transparent material rotated aside, opening a doorway. Loki eyed it, not moving.

“Come, brother,” Thor entreated, gesturing. “Join us.”

“Am I still on Sanctuary? Is this a test?” he asked, holding up both hands as if to present no threat. “Did I not pass all of these?”

Stricken, Thor shook his head. “No, brother, this is real. I’m here.” But he watched carefully – if Loki truly thought this was a test by Thanos, he would strike at Thor to prove his loyalty.

But he was wrong about the attack Loki would choose.

As he passed Thor, leaving the cell, he eyed Thor as warily as Thor was watching him.

“You see, I have a problem,” Loki said in a mild conversational tone. “You know too much.” He struck, hand darting out to Thor’s forehead. “Who _are_ you?”

“Loki – no!”

But it was too late-- the memories struck, pulled ruthlessly from Thor’s mind, a deluge of pain--

… _Loki on the balcony of Stark Tower, Loki in muzzle and chains, Frigga dying, Loki dying on Svartalfheim, Odin dying, Hela attacking, Sakaar, Asgard on fire… Thanos on the ship and Loki’s eyes empty in death…_

Thor wrenched himself back, breathing hard and shaking.

White-faced, Loki stared at him, lips parted. “I’m dead,” he whispered.

Thor couldn’t take the devastation in his face and threw his arms around him, clutching him to his chest. “No, no, you’re not,” he whispered into Loki’s hair, while Loki stood rigidly in the embrace. “I came back to change it all, Loki, it’s not going to happen. We can stop it. None of it has to happen. I’m sorry you had to see any of that, I didn’t want you to see it, I’m so sorry...” His eyes burned with tears and he kissed Loki’s temple.

“Please, brother,” he murmured, “Now you know the truth. You know all of it that will happen, but we can change it. You and I, together.”

Loki was like a statue in his arms, until he jerked, shoving at Thor to squirm out of his reach. Chest heaving for breath, he held himself still, arms crossed around his body. “You’re from the future,” he said finally, his voice thin and strained. “A future in which not only I’m dead, but millions – billions – of people are gone. Thanos wins.”

Thor looked at his back and didn’t know what to say to make this better. If he could. He’d lived it – there was no ‘better’. “Yes,” he answered finally. “And we – the Avengers in the future - found a way to send me back to undo it.”

“And you came to me,” Loki said, and he started to tremble. Thor thought it was fear or anguish, until it became clear it was with laughter. “The one who proved the most helpless and _useless _against him, and you came to _me.”_

Thor grabbed his shoulders and spun him around to face him again, shaking him lightly out of the rising hysteria. “You are none of those things. You are a warrior. A sorcerer. A _prince of Asgard._" Loki opened his mouth to reject that declaration and Thor shook him again. “Stop that. I know the truth, I’ve seen it. I know who you are better than you do.”

For a moment Loki stared into his eyes, and in case he was still reading Thor’s mind, Thor focused only on that moment when Loki had saved Asgard. He’d made his choice: to save, not to destroy. In a low voice, not letting go of Loki’s shoulders, Thor said, “You are a hero. You are my brother. That’s what matters. Right now, that is _all _that matters. We can do this. We _have _to do this. As a friend said, let us go kick names and take ass.”

Loki blinked, frowned, and stirred into amusement with a twist of his lips. “That … doesn’t sound quite right.”

“The sentiment is. Trust me, Loki – please,” he shifted his grip to the base of Loki’s throat and shoulder, where his fingers could smooth the soft skin at his nape, “we can fix it.”

Loki’s lips and throat worked without any words emerging, and his eyes had a sheen of tears, and with a shock Thor recalled that same expression from atop Stark Tower. Loki was about to say the same despairing words: _it’s too late._

So Thor got in first. “It’s not too late. That’s why I’m here.”

Loki stared into his eyes, and Thor gave back only his resolve. It couldn’t be too late; for the billions of souls out there stolen in the snap, and for Thor’s family and people, Thor would put it right.

Blinking the wetness away, Loki swallowed hard. “All right,” he whispered. For that instant, Thor saw doubt and fear pass through his eyes and Loki’s fingers dug into Thor’s arms like claws. But then he straightened, cleared his throat and said in a stronger voice, “I like this universe. Let’s kill that bastard before he ruins it.”

Thor smiled with relief and leaned in to kiss Loki’s forehead. “It’s going to be all right.”

Loki twisted away. “You’re wasting time.” He turned to head for the exit.

Thor glanced up to where the camera was, and gave a double-thumbs up gesture with a grin. The mortals were going to be less enthusiastic, but Thor didn’t care. Loki was with them now, and that was all that mattered.


	2. Chapter 2

The armored guards outside the cell gathered together on sight of Loki, as if to prevent his departure. Loki glanced at Thor. “I see your new friends are not following your plan.”

Thor folded his arms and glared at the leader. “Contact Commander Fury,” he ordered.

They didn’t need to, since they all heard Fury’s voice, sounding aggrieved, on the sound system, “_This is Fury. Escort them – both of them – to the bridge_.”

Loki gestured for the guards to precede him and smirked. “Please, after you.” 

If he was bothered by the ten armed and armored guards around them, he gave no sign. Thor followed him a pace, in case Loki tried any trickery, or at least to reassure the mortals he was ready for that, but he didn’t think Loki would. The truth of the future had hit him like Mjolnir, and Thor could tell he was still stunned by the news.

_The sorcerer said this was the path of hope, therefore we walk it. _

On the spacious bridge area, they emerged through the hatch and were led to the upper area with the large conference table. Fury was already there, with the other Avengers, except Stark, there waiting. Rogers looked tense and wary, Banner more concerned, and Romanoff simply watched. 

“So just like that?” Fury demanded of Loki, arms folded. “Now we have to believe you’re on our side?”

Thor stiffened. He had heard and seen everything that had happened, how could he still doubt? 

“Believe what you wish,” Loki returned. “But I would not scorn a weapon falling in my hand so blithely were I you.” 

“Is that what you are? A weapon?” Fury returned. “Because it’s pretty obvious you could turn and attack us.” 

Loki smiled thinly. “You must know I could have left Stuttgart with Barton. Did it occur to you to wonder why I did not?”

“You mean, why you let us arrest you?” Tony asked, striding into the room in his ordinary clothes, with some kind of candy in his hand. “Yeah, I saw you tank bullets. I bet you could tank the repulsors, if you wanted. So you let us. Distraction?”

“To take the Helicarrier out of commission,” Natasha suggested. She glanced at Bruce. “That’s what you were planning with the Hulk.” 

“Yes, very good, spiderling,” Loki complimented her, pleased. “But now? Oh, dear, it seems this flying machine remains in operating condition. How terribly unfortunate to have been thwarted like this,” he announced, with heavy sarcasm, and flopped into the nearest chair, extending his legs and sprawling backward with a smirk.

“And Barton?” Thor asked. He couldn’t remember exactly how that happened or when, but he did know that was coming. 

Natasha tensed. “What about Barton? Where is he?”

Loki glanced at Thor, looking briefly annoyed that Thor had mentioned it. “I was getting to that. He’s coming.”

Coulson demanded, “To do what?”

Loki shrugged. “To rescue me, of course,” he answered dryly. “And as backup. But specifically what to do? I left it to his discretion.”

Coulson and Natasha exchanged a concerned glance. “When?” Fury asked. 

“I don’t know. Soon, I would think.”

“Can you stop him?” Coulson asked. “Call him off?”

“If I knew how to reach him, yes, I could tell him to stand down. But--” he spread his hands, giving a shrug.

“We can still broadcast a message on SHIELD frequencies,” Hill pointed out. “They were on a quinjet. If they’re listening, they’ll get it.” 

“Do that,” Fury commanded and set a baleful look on Loki with his one eye. “And you’ll give us the message.” 

Thor saw Loki bridle at the command, and intervened, “Of course. And also, you should know it is possible to undo the compulsion on Barton.” 

“You can fix him?” Natasha asked, and Loki’s smile widened to something more mocking.

“Is this your debt, little spider?”

She returned his look steadily. “Friendship. Perhaps you’ve heard of it.”

“Is that what you call it? Really?” he returned, sounding amused. 

“Can you fix him or not?” 

“Of course I can. What is done can be undone. Usually. But I rather doubt you want me to, since….” 

“You need the scepter to do it,” Bruce suggested.

The smile this time was more genuine. “Precisely.”

Thor frowned. “But Barton was freed in my timeline without it.” Loki’s head snapped up toward him, and he frowned in puzzlement. 

“How?” 

Thor shrugged. “From what I remember, Natasha hit him on the head.”

Loki thought about that then nodded a bit. He looked briefly chagrined, as he said as if trying to excuse a mistake, “Unintended side effect. I suppose it’s possible. You could try that.” 

Thor frowned. “Do you not want the scepter back in your hand?”

Loki looked deliberately at Fury and Coulson and Natasha before looking back at Thor and saying with dry sarcasm, “And I’m quite sure that option is on the table, Thor.”

“Exactly,” Fury agreed, folding his arms. “I’m willing to go along with your… defection? – whatever this is, for now, but no, I’m not entirely that stupid to hand you a weapon that makes everyone your monkey. Make the broadcast for Hawkeye to stand down, and then, we’ll talk about how to get him back.” 

Coulson and Hill went to one of the tech stations and Coulson brought back a small communications device, which he held up to his own mouth in demonstration, “Speak into it here.” Then he laid it on the table in front of Loki, who looked at it with some hesitation.

“Loki,” Thor coaxed softly. 

“I know, Thor. Remember your promise,” he said and grabbed the device off the table. Thor’s stomach lurched at the reminder, realizing what Loki was saying – this was a tangible moment of betrayal. There was no turning back now, no pretending he wasn’t casting his lot with the mortals and Midgard.

He set his hand on Loki’s shoulder to offer support, as Loki spoke in a strong, level voice, “Clint Barton, if you can hear me, your orders are changed. You must land safely on the Helicarrier. Bring yourself and your companions to my location on the main deck for further instruction. Do not damage the carrier or harm anyone on it.” 

It was more than Thor had expected, and he squeezed his approval, as Loki tossed the device back down as if it might bite him. “I trust that sufficed?” he asked Fury. Fury looked to Hill, who nodded that they had a usable recording.

“If he hears you, will he do it? Or will he believe you’ve been compromised?” Natasha asked. “Because if I were Clint, I’d be suspicious that was under duress.”

Loki smiled humorlessly. “I have no idea. We'll see if his obedience or his will wins out.” 

“How can you claim he has his own will?” Coulson demanded, voice angry, but Loki just relaxed in his chair and regarded him without concern.

In a tone that suggested the others were just a bit stupid, he explained, “Because he does. He is not my automaton or draugr. As I said, he has discretion on _how _to accomplish his mission. You see, it’s rather difficult to plan for all eventualities, and thus leaving the will free, yet aligned in a certain… direction, seemed more efficient.” He spread his hands. “That is why a sharp blow the head is enough to free him.”

“And you’re not sorry you did it,” Steve said in disgust.

Loki leveled a flat stare at him. “Not at all.” 

Thor didn’t think he was telling the truth, but Loki was prickly and unwilling still, and his pride was as stiff as Thor’s had been. He’d bend eventually, now that he was committed to the same cause, but for now Thor would have to mediate between them.

"Sir!" a voice from one of the stations called and Fury turned sharply. "Quinjet approaching." 

Hill hurried to him. "Passcode?"

"It's an older one but it checks out." 

"Seriously?" Tony demanded. The tech winced and grimaced with realization, and Natasha chuckled. Thor had no idea what the problem was, exchanging a glance with Steve, as Tony rolled his eyes. "Well, that's got to be him."

Fury nodded. "Let them land. Order everyone to stay back. Do not engage. But I want confirmation asap of who we're dealing with." 

Hill murmured orders into her comm, while the others stood around. Thor nodded to himself. If it was Barton, there was no explosion in the engine, so that was a good change. 

He noticed Loki tilt his head, lifting his chin as if sniffing the air. "Loki? Is it him?" Thor asked softly.

"I think so. Feels familiar at least." The other Avengers looked at him, perhaps startled by the admission that Loki could sense Barton from a distance. 

"It's him," Hill confirmed. 

Natasha straightened and glanced at Loki. "Own will, hm?" 

Loki spread his hands. "Patience, Spider. The move has not yet been made." 

"Barton and four others. All armed," came the next report from Hill. "Heading here."

"Everyone be cool!" Fury called out to the whole deck. "Weapons free, but anybody shoots first, I'm throwing you overboard." 

At which point Thor realized everyone on the command deck was armed with some sort of handgun as they all took them from holsters and kept them either in hand or within easy reach. He swung Mjolnir idly, wondering if Steve and Tony both regretted their choices of being without their usual gear. 

"Perhaps you should stand behind me and Thor?" Loki inquired of them politely. "Those of you without a weapon or shield?"

Steve darted an annoyed glance at him and didn't move, but Tony slid over a few paces to put Loki between him and the door. When Bruce looked at him, he shrugged. "What? Safest place to be, isn't it?" 

"Clint could put an arrow through your eye from the door," Natasha informed him and didn't move. Nor did she ready any weaponry, but Thor knew how well she moved and what defenses her tactical suit carried. 

"They're on this deck, headed our way," Hill reported and a silence fell as everyone readied themselves, standing and facing the main door with weapon in hand.

Loki was the only one to remain seated, facing the same door. "Stand aside, Thor," he murmured. "If he believes I am under duress, this may go badly." 

That seemed wise, and Thor took several steps away from him, Mjolnir in hand, but not in a threatening position.

A soft whisper was the first warning, as an arrow sailed into the middle of the floor and landed with a thunk. 

"Timer device!" Hill called a warning. 

Barton's voice, calm and cold, came from the doorway. "Release Loki, or I blow it. You know I can." 

"He'll blow, too," Hill countered.

"He'll be fine."

Thor raised his eyebrows. That was actually not a bad plan, since he was right that Loki would be fine and the mortals less so. In details it wouldn't actually work, since both he and Hulk would also be unaffected, but perhaps that didn't matter.

"Come in, Clint Barton," Loki invited.

"You are under duress. I hear it in your voice. Come with me, sir. We can get out of here. Follow the plan."

For a moment, Loki hesitated, as if considering it, or perhaps wishing he could consider it, but said, "The plan's changed, Barton. There is a new plan. I am not under duress, or rather, I am under less than before, I suppose. Approach, so we may all plan together." 

"I can't help you, if Fury's men take us prisoner." 

"He won't do that. Because he needs my help, and I need yours," Loki responded. Fury folded his arms, but gave a grudging nod of acquiescence to Hill. 

She ordered, "All personnel, stand down. Give them space." Some of the crew sat at their stations, while the rest holstered their weapons and backed off.

"We are allies now," Loki explained. "There is a bigger threat. So come here." 

Wearing his black tactical suit and carrying his bow ready to draw and fire, Barton ducked around the corner warily, followed by two of his squad with rifles up.

Fingers twitched as the strange cobalt glow in Barton's eyes became visible, but Loki's voice was calm stretching across the deck. "That's right. Very good, Barton. All of you, lower your weapons. As you can see, I am under no threat." 

Slowly he relaxed his grip on the bow, but still held it, as he paced across the floor, followed by the other two, coming to Loki. "Everything all right, Boss?" he asked. 

Fury twitched and his jaw tightened, and Thor figured it was because that question probably should be directed at him, not at Loki.

"It's fine," Loki reassured him. Barton nodded sharply, and he stood at Loki's shoulder, gesturing the other two to stand watch at the wall. 

Fury's eye slipped to the rifles as if he wanted to tell them to get rid of them, but then he blew out a breath. "Agent Barton is here. Now what?"

"You delivered the iridium?" Loki asked Barton, who nodded sharply. 

"Of course. Doctor Selvig was prepared." 

"And he went where to build it?" Loki asked.

Barton flicked his eyes at Fury and then Tony, before answering, "Stark Tower." 

"Sonofabitch!" Tony exclaimed in disgust. "Why did you--" he cut himself off, figuring it out. He snapped his fingers. "The ARC reactor. You wanted the ARC reactor." 

"Isolated power of sufficient strength, it was not a difficult choice," Loki mused. "I was merely uncertain whether the team could manage your security or not."

"It wasn't that hard a target," Barton answered with chill dismissal.

"I'm gonna have a chat with JARVIS when we're home," Stark muttered. 

"So Selvig is going to build the portal in New York?" Bruce asked. "Shouldn't we go there and stop him?"

"I can go, right now," Tony volunteered.

"Tony, no, we should all go together," Steve said.

"One old scientist, I think I can take him. And in the suit, I'm faster," Tony said.

"The Helicarrier is not damaged," Thor pointed out. "Perhaps the entire vessel should be moved closer." He presumed that was why Loki's plan had sought to remove it from play in the first place, but Loki had nothing to say about it, keeping his opinion to himself.

That seemed odd, but then he was swept up into the discussion that seemed headed for an argument, and trying to keep the peace seemed the more important concern.

* * *

Loki tuned out the Midgardians discussing tactics to stop the creation of the portal. It had nothing to do with him now. He felt a sense of inevitability: he'd cast his lot with these fools, all because Thor had come from the future and told him... showed him what was going to happen if he didn't.

_Failure. Death._

All because he hadn't killed himself properly off the Bifrost. Instead he'd fallen into the Void, and fallen into the grip of someone even more mad than he was. 

It was a fitting irony. Here he was, knowing it was all going to end up the same way for him. _Maybe _the same way, if he was lucky. It might still end up worse for him, but if he did this right it wouldn't end up the same for others. 

_Mother. Asgard._

He'd thought he didn't care, but seeing Thor's memory of her lying on the ground, dead, and her funeral made him want to rip out his heart. He couldn't let that happen. He wouldn't.

So he had to stop Thanos now, here, from getting a foothold. From opening the Portal. From taking two Infinity Stones. 

A lurching sensation in his gut was his only warning, before his surroundings started to fade and the incessant mortal chatter grew muffled.

_No, no, no, not yet..._

But there was nothing he could do. The hook in his mind was reeled in and no matter how he tried to pull back or resist, the Midgardian vessel's brightness turned into the dark stone of Thanos' miserable rock.

"So," the sibilant hiss at his ear made him twitch, though he then forced himself to keep still. "What is this... upset, I sense?" 

He swallowed. "Thor. He's here. As predicted, but early. There have been complications."

"The Portal?"

"On track. I'm close." He could barely push the words out, as his throat constricted. _I am not afraid of you. _But that was also a lie because he remembered.

"How close? When will the Portal open for us?"

"Soon." _Never_ was the real answer. He caught himself from smiling, but something in his attitude gave it away, and pain lanced through his head. He gasped, blinking back the sudden prick of tears, as the Other shoved into his mind.

Claws traced down his cheek to seize him around the neck. "You dare to betray us? To betray _him_?" the Other demanded in his ear. 

He thought about lying again, but it would be no use. 

_If this is your fate no matter what, face it like a prince, a son of Asgard._

"They already know," he spat. Breathless, he laughed at the Other's surprise. "It's too late."

"You dare betray him. You, who are nothing but a worm? You will know pain and suffering, worm. You will beg for mercy and none will come." 

Loki stared back, fear evaporating, as he curled a lip in a sneer. "You lose." 

The Other pushed a palm to his forehead, and all he knew was pain.

* * *

(tbc)


	3. Chapter 3

"All we need to do is get there to stop the portal from being made, right?" Steve asked.

"Yes, exactly. We know who, we know how," Tony pointed to Loki, and then frowned. He snapped his fingers in front of Loki's face to get no response. "What the hell?"

"Brother?" Thor asked, and shook him lightly, but he didn't react.

"He's not here," Barton said.

"What do you mean?"

"I saw it before. He goes... away. Somewhere else. Don't know where, not my business. But he always came back looking bothered." Barton's hand caressed the edge of the table top exactly as he would draw an arrow between his fingers.

"Loki, brother," Thor shook him again with rising concern. He'd never heard about this happening.

Unresisting in the shaking, Loki's body flopped side to side and then overbalanced and slid off the chair. Thor tried to grab him, but ended up on the floor as well, holding him across his lap.

"He faking it?" Steve asked, and Thor glared up at him, because Loki obviously was not. He wasn't even blinking though his eyes had taken on a teary sheen, and Thor could feel him trembling.

"I told you there was another," Thor reminded him sharply.

Loki drew in breath sharply and turned rigid in Thor's grip, in a signal of some incredible pain. That was all the warning he got as Loki's eyes rolled back and his body started to convulse.

Thor tried to hold him still, but he was too strong, too wild, jerking in all directions helplessly. It was all Thor could do to keep him from hitting Thor in the face. "Stay back!" he urged as Barton started to kneel to help. "He might hurt you."

Somewhere above him, Hill said, "Epileptic advice is to just keep them from hurting themselves or someone else. But don't try to hold them down. It'll stop on its own."

"This isn't natural," Thor ground out but he stopped trying to hold Loki's limbs still.

And he was proven right that it was no brief fit, as it continued, without respite.

"This isn't right," Tony said eventually. "It's been, what, a minute-twenty? This could kill him."

"They're torturing him," Bruce said. "Isn't there something we can do?"

"Loki, please, free yourself," Thor pleaded, but Loki remained insensate. He looked up at the others. "We need to stop this."

"Drugs?" Coulson suggested. "Would they even work? Make things worse?"

"Something!" Thor ordered. "Do something."

"Call medical," Fury confirmed and Hill turned away, her hand to her earpiece.

"It won't work," Barton stated. "The scepter. Bring that."

"Oh hell no," Tony exclaimed. "No offense, but you're still whammied."

Cobalt blue eyes looked at Thor as if Stark hadn't spoken. "The scepter is what forms the link. It's the only thing that will break it."

Thor nodded once. The Mind Gem. It all came down to that, didn't it? No one else here understood, but it was a better idea than drugs. "Yes. Fetch it."

"That's too dangerous--" Fury objected but Thor overrode him.

"I will not sit here and watch my brother _die_! Bring the scepter."

Barton headed for the hatch. "I know where it is." Guards moved to intercept and without breaking stride, he had them both on the floor behind him. And he now held four pens in his hand, which, given the reaction of the other agents, might as well be poison daggers. "Don't get in my way," he advised.

Fury looked after him, conflicted, then gestured sharply to Natasha. "Go with him."

She hurried after.

Loki made a soft sound, pulling Thor's attention back, as his head tossed while he clenched his jaw. That pulled the skin over his features too tightly, making him look gaunt and ill, and Thor's heart tightened at the sight of lines forming at the corners of his eyes and tension at his mouth --- aging that should be impossible for an Asgardian of their youth. But there it was, the sign of suffering that Thor had ignored the first time around, but was plain this time.

_Thanos, you will die for this, I swear._

The medics came first, and Steve knelt to hold down Loki's leg so the young woman could inject him in the thigh with something. Thor didn't bother to ask what.

It was like a miracle. The uncontrolled jerking eased and he was able to draw in another breath. But a terrible whimper came out of his throat and his eyelashes fluttered, though his eyes stayed rolled back. "Loki? Can you hear me?" There was no answer. Full body tremors continued to shake him, and his breathing was shallow and sparse, but when Thor put a hand on his throat his pulse was racing, even after the medicine. It had eased him, a little perhaps, but it had not stopped whatever was afflicting him.

His gaze lifted to meet Steve's still kneeling on the other side, feeling bleakly despairing, "He knew. He knew they would punish him for betrayal."

"They have to stop it, eventually, don't they?" Bruce asked.

Thor hoped so but the truth was otherwise. "No, I don't think they do. They know no mercy. And if we fail to stop them, they will murder half the people of the universe." Loki hadn't been the first and certainly wasn't the last casualty of Thanos in Thor's timeline, but now he feared he'd made everything worse.

A heavy silence fell as if only now did all these mortals understand what Thor had been trying to tell them before.

Steve's gaze fell to Loki's face, and his expression softened. "I guess it never occurred to me there could be duress. He seemed so... eager in Stuttgart."

As he had seemed so willing to go to Jotunheim. So willing to play dead and pretend to be Odin. So willing to stay on the trash planet.

None of it had been true. Worse he suspected the latter two had been driven by Loki's terror of Thanos finding him.

Thor let a sigh escape. "Yes, I thought so too, at the time. But I was wrong."

"We'll help him, Thor," Steve promised. "Anyone who'd do that," he jerked his chin down, "needs to be stopped."

"With extreme prejudice," Tony added from above where he was observing. "Ah, the whammied and the imposter are back." He stepped aside to let Barton approach near enough to kneel beside Thor. He held the scepter in his hand and offered it to Thor.

With some distaste, Thor grabbed it and winced. Oh yes, there was power in it. Though it was muffled by the crystal encasing it, he sensed the Mind Stone and wondered how Loki hadn't realized what he was carrying.

He tried to get Loki to hold the scepter, but his fingers wouldn't stay in place unless Thor forced them, and merely holding it seemed to do nothing anyway. Setting the scepter on his chest did nothing either.

"So how do we break the link?" he asked Barton.

But Barton was out of ideas. "I thought it would work."

"So break the link," Tony said like they all had the brains of a toadstool. "Break the scepter."

"How about no?" Fury interjected drily. "No experiments with the alien technology on my _bridge_."

But when Thor looked at Loki's drawn and pallid face, he knew he had to try. Thanos hadn't reached him on Asgard when the scepter had been on Midgard; proximity to the scepter had to figure into it.

Thor gently moved Loki's head off his lap and gave Steve a look to keep watch, though at least Loki seemed in less danger to hurt anyone or himself. "There's no time," Thor said, in some vague apology to Fury. Then he tossed the scepter into the empty section of floor, called Mjolnir, and brought it down on the crystal housing of the Gem.

The blast of force slammed into the chairs, blew out the nearest monitors, and dented the floor. But the crystal was smashed, exposing the Gem within. He scooped it from the floor bare-handed, gritting his teeth as suddenly the thoughts of everyone on the deck were louder than voices.

He remembered Odin's voice - "what are you, the god of hammers?" - and centered himself on his own power to push the barrage away. It wasn't gone but at least it wasn't threatening to overwhelm him.

He carried the stone back to Loki's side, ignoring Fury and the other SHIELD personnel rushing around in a flurry of activity.

At first it was distant, but the tone was familiar, so Thor concentrated on it -- there was a voice in the crowd screaming. He rested his hand with the Gem inside his fist, on Loki's chest and the screaming became the only sound he heard.

Closing his eyes, he wasn't sure what to do, only that he had to find and help him. _Do you hear me? Loki, hear me. I can help you._

He felt as if he was falling, untethered, until the emptiness cleared away and he was... somewhere. Inside Loki's mind? A separate mental plane? Thor wasn't sure, but he knew Loki was here.

It was a dark place and not fully formed. The walls oozed from shoulder-height up out of sight and down again with no logic or solidity, and there was no obvious light source but Thor could see the walls looks like a dark stone, without join or mortar. There was an occasional flicker of some purple glow, but it didn't stay and was never anything Thor could touch. Something in the shadows moved, but only when he wasn't looking directly.

"Loki, where are you?" he shouted aloud. His voice was muffled, as if underwater, and there was no response, but since there was only one direction to go, he walked forward.

The walls melted away and reformed into a cavernous room. There was one bright spotlight on the center, shining on an object hanging in the middle surrounded by fragile crystal rods.

His mind refused to comprehend it at first, not _seeing_, then the cry ripped out of his throat-- "LOKI!"

It was Loki, his body pale and naked, his arms and legs outstretched with dozens of thin crystal rods piercing him. There was blood on his skin from some of the wounds. He did not hear Thor's cry -- all his attention forced on a shadowy figure before him.

It didn't react to Thor's presence either, as it stepped into the pool of light and Thor recognized him as Ebony Maw, that herald of Thanos with the long fingers who had been on the _Statesman_.

Ebony Maw didn't notice Thor, as he held up one of the thin rods and then it floated from his hand. "Don't move," he instructed Loki, who could not possibly move, as the rod pierced his neck. He gurgled a cry, and then started to choke on his own blood in his throat.

Thor could take no more watching and rushed forward to attack Maw. But he stumbled and nearly fell because there was nothing to stop him. Maw was a ghost, completely intangible.

Loki was still choking and then... everything dissolved to nothing. An instant later, it reformed, exactly as it had been before. Thor watched in horrified dismay as Maw put the rod in his throat again.

Attempting to touch Loki himself also failed, as Thor's hand went right through as if this were no more than a holoprojection.

It was memory, Thor realized. That was why it didn't stop or change. This was all Loki's memories. As Loki had seen his, now Thor was inside Loki's.

He left the room, unable to watch, but then went no farther either. He needed to think. Staying trapped in Loki's memories with him was no solution. Wandering lost from memory to memory seemed futile.

But the Mind Gem was still in his hand. He uncurled his fingers to see it. This one wasn't the 'real' one, any more than his body was here in the flesh, but it meant he should have power over this landscape.

Destruction seemed unwise. While Loki would probably be better off with removing memories of torture, Thor remembered 'you tossed me into an abyss' and he knew the last thing Loki probably wanted was more manipulation.

So, what then? How could he free Loki from this maze to return to consciousness?

"Where are you?" he whispered, looking at the Gem.

As if in answer, he heard soft sniffling, as of someone crying, and turned to see a small person on the floor. He was a child, dressed in green, and Thor knew he was Loki before the boy lifted his eyes.

Those eyes, wet with tears, widened to see him and he scrambled backward, into the wall, terrified.

"Loki, it's me," he murmured.

"Who are you?" the boy demanded, his tone hostile, but his hunched posture was still frightened.

Thor knelt down where he was, not approaching yet. "I'm Thor. I'm your brother."

"I don't have a brother. I don't know you."

Thor didn't try to hide the hit of the words, but didn't argue either. "Then can I be your friend?" he asked cautiously. "I'd like to be your friend."

Those pale eyes looked at him with suspicion. "Why?"

"Because I know you, even if you don't know me," Thor answered. "And I'd like to take you from this place to somewhere safe."

Loki shook his head and wrapped his arms around his skinny legs to pull himself into a ball. "There's no place. The monsters come. No matter where I hide, they always come."

"I'll protect you," Thor promised.

"You can't. No one can."

"I can. Let me take you from here," He held out his hand. "Please, come with me, Loki. You don't have to stay here."

"It's too late," the boy whispered, and dropped his head down so his hair masked his face.

"It's not too late, Loki, I swear. Please."

"He said, if I betrayed them, he would make me long for something as sweet as pain," Loki said but speaking in his regular voice. Without transition the child became adult again, huddled against the wall with his knees drawn up.

Thor thought it was a good sign that his adult self had taken over. "I'm sorry. We'll do better to protect you," he promised. "Brother, come with me. You don't have to stay here. This is your head, it isn't real."

Glancing up, Loki's eyes were aware again, recognizing Thor. "What difference does it make?" Loki asked, tilting his head. "He punishes me now, or later. Isn't it better to die now before I cause uncounted deaths?"

Thor blinked. "What? You don't cause that, Loki. Thanos does."

"Billions of people die, and you came back to stop _me_," Loki said with chill logic. "It must be my fault."

"No, no," he shook his head, "you misunderstand. It's not your death we need so the future shifts, it's your _life._"

He scooted forward, close enough to touch, and to his relief, found he could, grabbing Loki's cold hands between his own. He looked into Loki's eyes hoping he was getting this truth deep down in this nightmare place. "Strange- the Sorcerer Supreme- he looked into millions of alternate timelines. And the only one where we win, is this one. Where you turn on Thanos and you fight him, and we have our victory. You are our _hope_."

For a moment, Loki's eyes met his, and Thor could see Loki wanted to believe him. But then it slipped away as he slumped and shook his head, despairing, "I can't be. I'm not you, I'm not a hero. I'm not strong. I'm not--"

Thor thought of the room of pain not far away and couldn't bear it. He surged forward to pull Loki against his chest. "You are," he choked out. "So strong. Do you not know how strong you are just to survive? So strong to turn on him, knowing what you would face?" He clasped Loki tightly to him, glad when Loki relaxed into Thor and put his head on Thor's shoulder. "Such courage, brother. Such strength. So much stronger than I am. Just be you. That's all I want you to be."

He knew Loki heard him by the heaving sobbing breath he couldn't hold back, and Thor caressed his hair at the back of his head to let him know it was okay. "I'm here, you're not alone anymore," he whispered. "Whatever they told you, whatever you felt, I'm with you now. And I won't let go."

"Do you-- do you promise?" Loki's voice shook and his hands trembled where they clutched at Thor's shoulders.

"I promise." Thor pressed a kiss to his temple and tightened his grip, feeling the bones beneath as if the flesh had all burned away. "Come back with me. Face this evil. Together, we will defeat him."

"I don't know how," Loki admitted in a whisper. "I don't think it's possible."

"We'll find the way. But first," he pulled back a little ways and held out his hand, with the Mind Gem still in it. "Take my hand and let's get out of here."

He still hesitated, but in a quick motion of acceptance, he put his hand on Thor's, the Mind Gem between their palms.

And Thor opened his eyes, to find himself back on the Helicarrier.

His hand was still flat on Loki's chest, Mind Gem between them, but Loki seemed to be calmer. He lay still and his eyes were closed, and he was drawing breath.

"What -- happened?" Steve asked. "What did you do?"

"What did you see?" Thor asked, having no idea what the mental journey had looked like.

"Looked like nothing, but then he just went still. I thought - well, he looked dead, for a moment," Tony said.

"No, I--" Thor started, but Loki's eyelashes fluttered and so Thor fell quiet to watch as Loki's breaths deepened and his fingers twitched. His eyes opened slowly, coming awake and not quite alert at first, but they focused on Thor.

Thor smiled. "Are you back?"

Loki's brow knitted and his voice was hoarse as he said, "Am I?"

"Yes. How do you feel?"

Eyes closing, Loki seemed to take stock of himself and then looked at Thor again. "Not dead?"

Thor chuckled at the dry humor, but pressed Loki's hand. "No, you are not dead."

"Why not?"

"Because of this." Thor picked up the Gem and held it between his fingers for Loki to see. The reaction was admirably dramatic: Loki's eyes flared wide with shock and he gasped.

"You have the--"

"Mind Gem." Thor dropped it to Loki's chest. "Keep it safe. And use it to keep them away from you."

Loki wasn't the only one that gaped at that.


	4. Chapter 4

Thor was both amused and heartened by Loki's shock as Thor gave him the Mind Stone. But the amusement faded a bit, remembering what Loki had said in that mental place. All those harsh words, not for Thor but for himself, of weakness and loathing and condemnation. But at least the gift of the Mind Stone was not one he could dismiss as pretty, but meaningless words.

"That stone was in my--" Fury started.

Thor didn't let him get far, twisting around to nail the SHIELD commander with a glare. "_Never_ belonged to you. Was the tesseract not enough to teach you that there are powers out there in the universe you are not ready for?"

"He's the one who brought it here!" Coulson objected, pointing at Loki.

"And your foolish use of the tesseract brought me, so perhaps consider your own faults before casting blame," Loki said, pushing himself upright. Thor didn't like the way he had to stop there, as if to collect his breath again. "But Thor is correct. The scepter should not have come here. And you may not have the stone that was within it." 

"You're on my ship," Fury threatened, but Loki smiled thinly.

"After what you just saw, you think I fear _you?" _He held out his palm and displayed the yellow Gem glimmering so innocently and his voice went cold and dangerous. "To touch this would be to kill you, fragile mortal. With this in my hand I could make all of you my -- what did you call it?-- my monkeys. All of you on this ship." Steve tensed as if he was thinking of throwing himself at Loki to stop him, but Loki stayed fixed on Fury. "But instead--" he closed his hand around the Gem and turned his head. "Barton, come here." 

Unquestioning, Barton moved to his side and knelt. "Sir." 

Everyone else went tense, but Thor smiled, knowing what he was about to do. 

"Thank you for your service, Agent Barton. But it is no longer required. I will undo what I did. Close your eyes." He held the fist with the Gem inside it against Barton's forehead and closed his own eyes.

Thor knew when it worked when Barton immediately swung a fist to punch him, bu Loki caught it with his free hand. "No. No hitting. You'll only hurt yourself." 

Barton's eyes, now normal colored again, glowered at him. Thor tried valiantly not to be amused as Barton pushed against Loki's grip, only to realize the futility. "You son of a bitch." 

"Your guess is as good as mine," Loki agreed easily and let go. "Now, listen to me very closely, Barton. If you want me to remove all the memories of your service, I can do that. Or leave you as you are, remembering it." 

"Get rid of it," Barton snarled, but as Loki's hand reached for his forehead he shied back abruptly. "No. Wait." Loki's hand paused and he lifted a brow when Barton didn't speak. "I don't-- It would all be gone?"

"As if it never happened," Loki confirmed. 

"But it did." 

Loki's head tilted, confused. "Well, yes. Obviously. But you don't have to remember it." 

Thor watched, wondering if he'd made a mistake not doing it to Loki's memories. If he was offering it to Barton, didn't he want it himself? 

"I don't want you messing in my head again," he said finally. "I'll deal. Leave me alone." 

Loki pulled back his hand. "As you wish."

Barton stood up and walked away, back to the gathering, and Natasha followed him to speak in a low voice that Thor didn't bother to try to overhear.

Loki shifted to also get to his feet. Thor offered his hand which he saw Loki consider disdaining before he seized Thor's vambrace and Thor hauled him up. He held on a little longer than was normal, and Thor examined his face worriedly. 

But Loki pulled away and turned. "If the others would come here, I will release them as well." Thor watched, proud of him, as he returned the other agents to their right minds with swift efficiency. Then he faced the others. "I believe we were discussing the Portal in New York? Has it formed?"

"We don't have the scepter to shut it down anymore, I thought we needed that," Steve said.

Loki smiled thinly. "Not when I have this." He held out his hand and then curled his fingers around it, banishing it, so it was gone when he opened his hand again.

"Where'd it go?" Bruce asked.

Tony snorted. "Sleight of hand. He put it up his sleeve, Bruce, come on." 

"No, I put it into a pocket dimension," Loki corrected. "True magic is far beyond your mortal card tricks." 

Tony rolled his eyes. "'Mortal'," he scoffed. "I was gonna ask if I could learn that trick, but I guess not if you're gonna be an arrogant jerk about it."

"Is it safe there?" Bruce asked, getting to the more important point.

Loki shot him a look that seemed grateful that at least someone wasn't wasting his time. "Yes. It stays until I take it out."

"And if you die?" Steve asked.

"The pocket collapses." He held out a hand and closed it into a fist for demonstration. "Everything in it will be destroyed. Except the Gem which will be propelled forcefully back into this plane, at a random location in the universe."

"Well, that's not helpful," Bruce muttered.

"Oh, I don't know," Loki said airily, "you might need to send the Gem somewhere far away to a random location. Something to keep in mind." 

But Thor had to look away, because he remembered something else -- Loki _not _keeping the tesseract in that pocket, because he had been trading it for Thor's life. And Thanos had killed him for it.

He glanced at Loki suspicious that he was thinking his error had been not dying with the tesseract hidden so he could send it away, rather than not dying at all. "No," Thor said bluntly. "We shall not. I will not watch you die, Loki. We will find another way." 

"You may not have a choice," Loki reminded him quietly, and Thor grimaced. 

"There's always another choice," Thor insisted stubbornly. "We'll find it." 

"Anyway," Stark intervened, "we were discussing a quinjet before your..." he waved a hand trying to think of the right word, "you got attacked telepathically, from outer space -- let me just mention how that makes no sense to be able to do that from light-years away-- but we need to get going before Selvig opens the wormhole." 

"Yes," Loki agreed. "The sooner we do this, the sooner it's ended." 

Fury nodded once, looking grumpy that he didn't like any of this, but had no choice. "Agent Hill, ready them a quinjet. Captain, gather your team." 

Steve straightened. "Sir. Can everybody be ready in five?" His eyes went from face to face, pausing when Bruce took a step back, in doubt.

"Me?" 

"If the Portal opens, the Beast will be needed," Loki said. "While most of the Chitauri are footsoldiers, their creatures are not." 

Thor nodded agreement, remembering the Leviathan monsters. 

"I'll go," Barton offered. Natasha's gaze was worried, slipping between Barton and Loki as if she was worried Barton might attack him, rather than their bigger enemy.

"Barton, are you sure?" she asked. "Are you ready for that?" 

"I feel fine and," sharp eyes flicked at Loki and then away, "I'd like to put some arrows in those holding the strings."

Loki gave a tight-lipped little smile. "Me, too." 

"All right, then, let's prep, meet you on deck," she told Steve, and left with Barton after getting Fury's approving nod.

Coulson escorted both Tony and Steve out to get their gear, leaving the three who needed no real preparation still on the command deck. 

"You are sure you're ready for this," Thor asked Loki softly, when no one but Bruce was nearby.

"I'm fine." Thor folded his arms and was prepared to glower at Loki until he told the truth. When he saw that his answer was getting no traction, Loki added more honestly, "What else is there to do? We have to keep the Gems from him as long as we can. We have to stop the portal."

Thor didn't want to agree, but he knew Loki was right. There was nothing else they could do. "But you will be well?" He meant it more as a statement that Loki would recover but it came out a question.

"Of course," Loki answered, and Thor wondered why he'd bothered to ask. Would Loki give him the truth, even if he wouldn't be well? No, of course not, and not after what Thor had seen in that mental place of his true emotions of despair and pain. He would definitely not say anything in front of those he trusted even less.

Which meant Thor would have to look out for him, and keep him from doing anything foolish. 

"We should go to the flight deck," Loki suggested, "it will save time to meet the others there." He called across to Fury, "You should call your guards, if you want an escort for me." 

Fury just looked disgruntled and gave a wave. "I think Thor and Bruce are the best guards I've got, if I need them. Just go. Get the hell out off my bridge." 

Loki smirked a little and headed for the hatch. Before following, Thor tugged Bruce's shirt to make him stay put and leaned in close to murmur, "We need to watch over him. He is not well." 

Bruce's eyes met his, a bit incredulous that Thor would say such a thing, but then his gaze flicked out to Loki by the door, and understanding passed over his face and he gave a short nod.

Relieved that Bruce understood, and hopefully the Green Monster would too if Bruce changed form, Thor headed to catch up to Loki before he realized Thor had lagged for more purpose than grabbing Mjolnir.

In the quinjet, the group came together: Natasha and Barton settled into the front seats to pilot the craft and were also wearing battle gear, Steve was in his full battle suit with his shield, Bruce who still wore ordinary mortal clothes, and Loki. 

Tony would fly himself, and though Thor would ordinarily choose the same, he thought it better to stay with Loki. 

"Comm check," Barton said. 

Tony's voice came first. "_I hear you. On my way." _The sight of Man of Iron in full armor passed across the front window and in a burst of flame headed west.

"Well, let's get going," Natasha said and exchanged some words with the Helicarrier and they were on the way, too. 

Bruce sat on one of the narrow flimsy benches, crouched on himself, and Loki eyed him for a moment before asking, "Are you well?"

"Not a big fan of airplanes. Or fighting. Or any situation where the Green Guy might take control." 

"Even if you change right now, no one will die, Doctor Banner. You, the Captain, and I will survive the fall. Thor can fly and save our two mortal companions up front. So you need not be concerned." 

Bruce looked up at him, half-smiling with amusement. "A bit of "Green Guy" solidarity?" he said and gestured to Loki's fighting leathers. 

"If you like. Just pointing out this craft contains more power than you alone. But, please, do not change right here. We cannot let Stark have all the glory for stopping the invasion."

That made Bruce chuckle, and Steve seemed to relax a bit. Thor was glad to see the Loki of their youthful adventuring days return, even in this small way, when he'd been good for a quip to ease tensions or a joke around the fire. And if it helped the Midgardians relax around him, all the better.

The relaxed atmosphere didn't last, as Tony's voice came over the speakers, "_Damn it. It's already done. I guess Selvig didn't need you for it, Horns." _

"The wormhole's active, Tony?" Bruce asked loudly.

"_Yep. Check the monitor. Big and bad. Gonna see what I can do--"_

"No, wait - " Loki started, but the voice channel cut off. 

"What?" Steve asked. "Don't try to stop it?"

"If the portal is active, he can't. The suit has power but not enough, not against the tesseract. That was the whole _point _of using it." He folded his arms and looked annoyed and tense. "You should have left me on the Carrier and gone earlier. You wasted time, and now the portal's open." 

Before Thor could argue with that, Barton blurted, "Holy shit! Is that the portal?" 

They all crowded forward to see and Thor grimaced to see the swirling dark clouds and opening to another faraway place above the powerful blue beam of pure power poking a hole in space.

Stark's comm crackled back to life. "_Damn it, not enough power. There's some kind of forcefield around the tesseract. Selvig is a nutcase. JARVIS, pull out the Mark VII, we're gonna need it_." 

Loki rolled his eyes in a 'told you so' manner. 

"There are _things _coming out of the portal, small flying objects," Natasha reported. "Hostiles, I presume." 

This part Thor remembered, but Loki answered first, all the humor leached out of his voice, "Chitauri on sleds. Thousands of them. An army." 

Iron Man said, "_Hey, none of that. They have an army, we have a Hulk." _

"Tony, there's still only one of me," Bruce objected. 

"And there will be Leviathans," Thor remembered. "Great flying creatures, that are both troop transport and destruction." 

"Like your whales, but they fly," Loki explained. 

"Well, that's just great," Barton grumped. "What the hell kills them?" 

"The Hulk," Thor said. "And they can be blown up from the inside."

"Or we just close the portal before they get sent through," Loki said, stepping forward. "Drop me at the tesseract. I can collapse the protective field and the portal with the Gem." 

"And then we clean up whatever and whoever got through?" Steve nodded. "All right."

"We're on target for Stark Tower, already," Natasha declared. "Drop in...sixty seconds. Get ready."

"And me?" Bruce asked.

"Stay with us," Steve suggested. 

Bruce cast a worried look at Thor, knowing that wasn't going to help look after Loki, but Thor had to nod agreement. If Thor was staying near Loki, someone had to be ready to take down a Leviathan if one came through.

Casting a final look at the image of the city with the well-remembered powerful beam firing up from its central core, Thor turned to follow Loki to the back, where he punched open the ramp. The cold wind blew in, ruffling their capes.

"We're gonna hit some crossfire," Barton called back in warning. "They're coming at us. We've got to go low and fast."

"Ten seconds!" Natasha shouted against the wind.

Thor looked at Loki. "Ready, brother?" He tried to find that old enthusiasm for the fight that Loki would remember and grinned, but Loki seemed distracted or annoyed, avoiding looking at him for surveying the outside.

"I'm ready," he answered curtly and moved to the end of the ramp, paused, and then jumped. Thor followed, knowing he didn't have to be as accurate as Loki, and wound up Mjolnir to keep himself oriented and watch for enemies.

Thor remembered the Chitauri as poorly-armored, with weapons that barely stung. Their advantage was only in numbers. The pair on the sled approaching at speed were easily taken down, but by then he had to hustle as Loki landed on the exterior walkway two levels above the platform. It was a relatively narrow space, and he smashed one window with a boot as he rolled, but perhaps it had been better to target there than risk being caught in the portal beam. 

Thor already knew trying to stop the beam with Mjolnir wouldn't work nor could he redirect it. The power from the tesseract was simply too great. But now Loki had the Mind Gem, so much as Natasha had put the scepter into the field to collapse the beam, all Loki would have to do the same with the Gem. 

More Chitauri attacked straight for him, a whole squadron of five on separate sleds. And more at Loki, too, he glimpsed in dismay as weapons fired from the sleds right at Loki from beneath his own battle. 

Loki smashed a bigger hole in Stark's window and fled inside. Thor presumed he intended to find his way down to the platform within the building, and turned his attention to disposing of his latest assailants. 

More swarmed him.

He frowned and glanced up at the portal opening and the hundreds of small craft coming in. This was different. They'd come in numbers before but not like this.

And then, on the opposite building he saw a sight to make his blood run cold -- four Outriders climbing the concrete. That was definitely different. 

He tapped the comm in his ear to activate. "_Beware, there is a second hostile. Called Outriders. They have four limbs, no eyes, and teeth--"_

_"Yeah the creepy xenomorphs, I see them," _Stark cut in. "_How do they die?"_

"_Hit them hard enough they die," _Thor answered. "_But they are dangerous-- agile, very fast and strong. They did not come the first time I was here. Things are changing." _

He pulled lightning to direct at the top most one, concerned they would leap across from that building to his own. It spasmed and fell to the street down below, perhaps dead. Thor wasn't sure they were dead until they were beheaded-- since they were hardy creatures. 

"_That's good isn't it?" _Steve asked, from somewhere else in the battle. "_It's changing_?"

"Yes," Thor answered. And it was, of course. That was why he was here. But he was worried that, in some ways, it already seemed worse -- Loki had been tormented, and now there were Outriders with the Chitauri. 

He saw another of the Outriders smash into the window, grab a human from within, and hurl the man out to plummet screaming. Thor struck the creature with lightning, too, so it followed after the human, and then slammed into the other two at such force he smashed them both into the fragile walls of the interior office space. 

He saw a huddled group of humans behind a flimsy countertop. "Get to a lower floor and the underground, if you can," he ordered and when one of them pointed with a shaking hand and wide eyes, he turned, Mjolnir ready. The two Outriders moved with their fluid grace to stand before him, their wide mouths of teeth bared in a hiss at being denied their prey. 

"Come then, beasts," he challenged and spun Mjolnir. Launching an attack right at them, he swept them ahead of him, straight back out the window. One managed to grab the steel frame with claws and not fall, but Thor hit it in the head with his hammer and smiled grimly as it fell. 

Barton's voice came to his head, "_Thor, four more of those things on the backside of your building, ten floors below you and climbing." _

Thor decided to save time by going straight through, narrowly missing flying straight into the concrete elevator core and jerking sideways through a restroom wall.

"_They're at street level, too," _Steve reported. "_Police are firing a 50cal at them and not doing shit. What are these things made of?"_

Loki answered, unexpectedly, "_They are, I was told, a combination of Chitauri, Thanos himself, and other enhancements. These are the low version." _

"_That means there's a high version? Of course there is," _Tony muttered, grumpy. "_Why do I ask_?"

Someone snorted with amusement at that, but Thor wasn't sure who.

Loki answered, "_Six arms. More intelligent. The commanders. If we find one and kill it, it's possible those it commands will die too." _

"'_Possible'," _Tony repeated and huffed a breath. "_Okay, setting scan. I don't see- oh shit!" _

At first Thor feared he'd found one of the High Outriders, but it was worse, when Tony added in disgust, "_So that's a Leviathan? I thought you were gonna close the wormhole? Could you get a move on?"_

"_I am a trifle busy," _Loki answered. "_There are Outriders here, too."_

That was alarming. Thor was on the wrong side of his current building to see him. "_Do you need assistance?" _

"_A distraction would be useful_," Loki admitted after a brief pause. That suggested they were near the tesseract, perhaps guarding it.

But before Thor could offer to help him, Barton said, "_I see them. Explosive arrow_?"

"_Would do nicely_," Loki agreed, and Thor was relieved that he could turn his attention to defeating the enemy where he was. 

* * *

(tbc...)


	5. Chapter 5

The Chitauri were bad enough, Loki thought sourly, but the Outriders were worse. Dumb brutes with overdesigned teeth, they had flowed over the balcony like ink as he'd peeked out from behind Stark's bar on the correct floor to go outside to the device. He'd watched in horror as two of them had attacked Selvig, who had no weapon, and torn him apart in a vicious display. 

And now four were standing guard over the device. They were just standing there like they had no other place to be.

He rested his head against the cabinet and shut his eyes, grimacing. Four Outriders. He'd have little chance. Sword or axe was better for hacking limbs, not daggers which were all he had ready to summon.

Thanos had made him fight them. At first unarmed and magic-bound to see what he would do to survive, and he very nearly hadn't. The disgust in Thanos' voice had been more humiliating than his defeat. "_Weak. You cannot be one of my Children with such weakness. Gamora as a child could kill one bare-handed. This child gets nothing, until he kills one." _

No food, no water, no healing, no weapon, nothing - just left on a barren rock with an Outrider. Kill or be killed. 

His body shuddered and he opened his eyes to try to fix his thought on something else. He had weapons this time. He had the Mind Gem. And he was shortly to get Barton's explosive arrow. He needed to be ready. 

He cast the tightest invisibility he could manage, blocking scent and sound since the Outriders had no eyes, and crept out from behind the bar. He felt terribly exposed with nothing between him and the creatures but a pane of glass. But maybe he could use that glass to his advantage, as well, when the arrow hit.

Barton was atop the building to the east, and Loki thought he was just glad he'd taken off the geas when he had. Barton was a reluctant ally, but at least he was an ally. This would be more difficult if he still wanted to avenge himself on Loki, but he seemed to have taken the position that Loki had been as much a puppet as he had been. 

It was not as true as Loki might wish it to be, but if it kept Barton from killing him, all the better, really. They could deal with the truth later. 

So far the Outriders showed no interest in anything inside the building, only outside. Perhaps they didn't even recognize there was an interior beyond the glass, since they couldn't see it. 

Across the way Barton murmured, "Go." And he drew and fired.

Loki gathered power in his fist and hurled it simultaneously at the window, shattering the glass and sending it straight at the enemy, while Barton's arrow exploded on the other side.

He didn't wait, following after the broken glass, with dagger hilts snapping into his palms. The first didn't know he was there and died with a blade in its neck. Two more were on the ground limp from the explosion, but the fourth turned toward him, hissing in its long teeth.

_Get to the tesseract, _he reminded himself. He couldn't get stuck fighting them, they didn't matter, he needed to break the shield around the device and shut it down. 

But until then the forcefield was a weapon too, since the Outriders couldn't cross it either, and he was able to throw enough power to force it against the barrier, trying to crush it. The other two stirred then and he had to disengage and throw himself into a roll out of the way. 

They followed, and he was barely on his feet when they were on him. He pulled the Mind Gem out, holding it before him to call on its power, but found no purchase on their minds. They had none. 

One clawed hand wrapped his wrist and he kicked, freeing himself and retreating. 

If they had no mind to touch, then he'd just have to use the power itself. It wasn't really meant to do this, that was what the scepter had been useful for, but it was still an Infinity Stone and it was still raw power that he'd learned how to wield centuries ago.

Clenching his hand around it, his fist lit up with golden fire called from the depths of the Stone itself, and he hurled it at the pair. The power slammed into them, hurling them backwards, through the low wall and out into the air. 

Slumping, he let out a breath of relief. They were out of the way. One more and the way was clear. It was harder to call enough power for the last one, but it was easier to hurl the creature through the hole he'd already made.

His knees went weak and he staggered a step, as he went light-headed, but shook it off. Still clutching the stone he headed for the forcefield to take it down while he still could.

"_Behind you!" _Barton's voice warned urgently.

Loki threw himself forward into a roll, and twisted to come up facing the new enemy. 

His heart thudded to a stop at the sight. Commander Outrider. It stood on the outside of the balcony railing, taller than he was, powerfully built, six arms, horns on its head. Same eyeless smooth skull and hinged jaws with far too many teeth.

_Stay, _came the hissing command in his head. _Stay._

For a terrorizing moment, he couldn't move. His body was not his own, and he could only watch as it crawled over the railing like a spider to stand in front of him.

_Master wants this one_, it hissed. 

Master. Thanos. The Outriders were _targeting _him, to bring him back.

The terror of that washed through him, and all he could remember was _before. _The darkness was suffocating him, endless nothing, choking on his own hate and pain, knowing he was being ground for a purpose.

The Stone cut into his palm with how tightly he was clenching his fist around it and that was enough to stir him back to the present. He pulled power from it to throw the creature out of his mind and attack.

This one, unlike the lesser creatures, had a mind. Or, at least, it had a connection to a mind, and with the Mind Gem he could reach it. If he just pushed ... hard enough.. 

_I have you, I sense you, I can end you... _

But it was getting closer too, which he didn't notice until the claws were swiping at him, as it fought his control. 

Jumping back broke his concentration, and it was on him. He thrust outward with the Gem, throwing it back, but the claws grabbed him by the tunic and yanked him down on top of it. 

He pushed the Gem against its head, keeping the teeth away from him, jaw clenched. _Die, you monster, die. _

And he poured all the power he could straight into it, frying its head beneath his hand with the brightness of a star. 

Then, abruptly, there was nothing pushing back. It was dead, all six arms flopped to the ground, and Loki let go of the power with a relieved gasp. His head drooped, and he had to catch his breath, gritting his teeth against the sudden flare of pain in his side. Those claws had definitely caught him.

Lifting his head he looked around with a sour inevitability of more Outriders, but at least for the moment he was in the clear. He needed to move and close the portal before more showed up. 

Standing was a slow and painful process - his side stabbed him and when he put his free hand against it, he could feel the damage and the blood. He nearly fell again, dizziness making everything wobble.

There was another wound where his tunic had been shredded, taking the skin beneath it, both thighs, and his arm. 

But all he needed was a few minutes, and the Gem. 

His head spun as he straightened as much as he could, still hunched over, and limped to the barrier.

After all that, it didn't seem difficult to rest his hand holding the Gem against the energy barrier. The dark energy of the Space Gem was interrupted by the different Gem, shorting it out, and the barrier fell. 

He staggered two more steps, and looked up, along the beam opening the Portal, wishing his thoughts could go straight to Thanos. 

_And so I free myself. Not on your leash. Never again._

With his free hand, he pushed the delicate machine. The instant the alignment failed, the beam stopped and above, the Portal began to close. He heard faintly, the sound of cheering as the mortals noticed it was shut off.

In his ear, a jubilant Stark: "_Hell yeah, he did it!"_

Thor then, "_Well done, brother!" _

Loki almost smiled at that, a twinge of something - pride, maybe? - warm in his chest at the acknowledgment. He had done it. He'd stopped Thanos. Not forever, but at least for now, and he wouldn't die a failure, as he had in Thor's future.

The device crashed to its side and he surveyed the damage with satisfaction. He should pluck out the tesseract. But maybe he would sit down for a little while. He'd done his part. The others could clean up.

* * *

After the Portal was shut, the Chitauri dropped instantly, their hive minds shut down, so the rest of the team tended the last few Outriders while Thor and Hulk tag-teamed the last Leviathan and finally brought it down. Bruce returned, and Thor wrapped him in his cape, before flying them back to Stark Tower. 

Thor landed on the balcony, spying the device on its side, half smashed, multiple Outrider corpses, and to his dismay, the remains of Erik Selvig as well. "I am sorry, my friend," he murmured, shoulders slumping in sorrow. This was the first loss he knew was _new, _in this changed timeline, as it separated itself further from the past he recalled.

Loki was not there, though, so Thor went through the sliding glass door into the open lounge area where the others were waiting

He immediately found Loki, lounging against the bar. Thor's gaze swept him worriedly for wounds from his battle with the Outriders, but there was only one sleeve damaged. 

"Brother! What a victory!" Thor made as if to embrace him, but stopped when Loki flicked a glance at the other Avengers and drew back. Thor checked his impulse, knowing how prickly Loki was about such displays.

"Bruce, you're back!" Tony exclaimed and grabbed a pile of clothes from under the bar somewhere. "Here, buddy." Bruce took the clothes gratefully while clutching Thor's cape around him, and disappeared through the nearest door.

"How about a drink?" Tony asked behind the bar, removing a bottle and thumping it on the countertop. "I don't know about anyone else, but I say we deserve it. Horns, how about you?"

Loki didn't answer, seemingly unaware Tony was addressing him. 

"Loki?" Thor prodded. "Man of Iron invites you to drink?"

Loki started, as if his attention had been far distant, not merely ignoring the mortal as Thor expected. "Hm?" 

"Two," Thor lifted a hand toward Tony, who pulled out glassware enough for everyone. 

"It's kind of a waste on me," Steve admitted with a wry twist of his lips. 

"If you're pounding this to get drunk," Tony lifted the bottle, "Well, I can afford it but yeah, that's a waste. But the idea is savor it. Live a little, Cap." 

He poured amounts for each of them and sent Loki and Thor's glasses sliding down the table for Thor to stop with a hand. 

He picked up his own and waited for Loki to pick up his. "We should celebrate our victory," he said and pushed the glass at Loki's hand that was against the bar. 

Loki pulled back, but he was too slow - the cup touched his hand. Or it touched what looked like his hand, as first his hand and then his entire body unraveled in emerald fire and disappeared. For a moment Thor stared blankly at where the illusion had been. What? Why had he done this?

He turned quickly, hoping to catch sight of the real Loki playing a trick on him from elsewhere in the room. 

"Where did he go?" Tony asked. 

"He can't be far," Thor said, searching for a familiar shape or something out of place if Loki were still hiding. "I don't--"

Barton interrupted, "I see him. He's on the balcony."

Thor looked and didn't see him at first, until he realized one of the dark shapes out there was not one of the Outrider corpses he'd seen before. He slammed the cup down and rushed to the open doorway, calling Loki's name.

Loki was on the floor, slumped against the fallen wreck of the device. He stirred and his lips curved in a faint smile, as Thor threw himself down beside him. "Damn. Too slow."

Loki's battle leathers were shredded and blackened with blood. The smell of it was thick in Thor's nose and he shook his head in horrified dismay. "What happened?"

"I killed the High Outrider," he whispered. "But it took too long to die." It had clawed him open, he meant. The worst wound was a missing piece of his left side, bloody and raw, but there were other wounds from Outrider claws.

"Loki, no. Why?" Thor protested, voice raw. But he knew why. He'd seen the same face above the Bifrost. Because - again - Loki had decided his life was worthless.

"It's fine." 

"It is _not _fine!" 

"Oh my God," Bruce whispered, kneeling on Loki's left side. The others gathered near, and Natasha grabbed the cloth napkins on the bar and passed them to Bruce who held a wad against Loki's side in vain effort to slow the bleeding. He arched away from the touch with a breathless cry, and tried weakly to bat the help away, until Thor grabbed his wrist to hold it still. "No. Let him tend you."

He subsided for the next attempt and Bruce was able to hold the cloth more firmly to the wound, but Loki's face was too pale, Thor noted in worry and bit his lip. "You must stop doing this," he chided.

"Better now than later," Loki whispered, eyelids fluttering and breathing turning slow and shallow.

"No, how can you say that?" Thor demanded miserably. "I have told you -- it's your life that will defeat Thanos. Not your death. Your death did nothing to defeat him before, Loki. I was there, it was awful." 

Loki's eyes met his, peculiarly bright in his pallid face. "I saw it," he reminded Thor. "I gave it to him. For you. And I would do it again. That's why...." his voice faded. "... why..." 

He lost his battle for consciousness, eyes falling shut and his head nodding to one side. 

The pain lanced into him as the full scale of what Loki believed hit him. Loki had seen that he gave the tesseract to Thanos to exchange for Thor, and he knew he would always make the same choice, so he was trying to remove himself as the weak link and keep the tesseract from Thanos. And now the Mind Gem would also be far less accessible if he died while it was hidden away.

It was, like all of Loki's plans, completely rational. And for a second Thor contemplated that this was what Strange had seen all along. But it couldn't be. No, Strange had said this was hope; watching Loki die early was not hope. This was not the right path.

He held Loki's hand between both of his, cradling the cold fingers against his cheek to warm them, wishing he could take the Mind Gem from Loki and wipe the memory of Thor cradling his dead body on the _Statesman_ from them both. 

Not here, not now; Thor would not let this happen again. He had promised to keep Loki safe and he needed to do better.

Bruce reached across to touch his arm to get his attention. "Thor?"

"Do whatever you can, Banner. Please."


	6. Chapter 6

"Hey." Bruce squeezed Thor's arm. "I think he'll be okay. It looks bad, but I see healing already." 

Thor drew back, having to take a deep breath and peer at Loki's face worriedly. "You think so?"

"Yeah, look at his arm," Bruce confirmed. "But he needs tending. I should stitch up this gut wound especially." Bruce looked to Tony. "Do you have a place in this tower with some medical gear? Or at least needle and thread and some isopropyl?" 

Tony's eyebrows shot up. "I have a fully equipped OR, Bruce. It's like you don't know me," he said in mock hurt and turned his attention to Thor. "Can you carry him? Or do I need to get a stretcher? Because I have one of those, too."

"I can carry him," Thor answered. 

With Steve lending his help, Thor managed to stand with Loki held carefully in his arms while Bruce continued to press the bloody cloths to the worst damage. Thor didn't like that Loki didn't stir as he was moved and the pool of blood left behind was too large.

Tony led the way to the lift and below a few floors to a small white and steel room with a narrow bed on which to put a patient. It was surrounded by quiescent equipment which Thor could not identify, but both Tony and Bruce seemed to understand.

At a command from Tony, a robotic arm emerged from the ceiling while another brought supplies. Thor helped remove Loki's tunic, boots, and trousers, ending up having to cut most of it off him with the laser of the robotic arm, leaving him just in his smallclothes. The wounds looked worse under the bright light, deep lacerations seeping blood despite the hasty bandages, and the side wound the worst, tearing into his abdominal cavity too close to eviscerating him.

"Anesthetic?" Bruce asked.

Thor shook his head. "Just do it, my friend. I will help hold him if he wakes, but I think he will not." 

It seemed to take an eternity as Bruce sewed up his flesh with the laser helping to penetrate his skin so it could be mended like cloth, but finally he announced, "Done. As good as I can manage." They bandaged everything up, and Thor was concerned Loki hadn't stirred for any of it. Something besides the wounds had damaged Loki, he suspected, but this was also not the first time Thor had seen him fall into a deep sleep from over-extending himself and his power. Hopefully that was all this was.

Tony's voice came over the intercom, "_There's a recovery room next door. Just wheel him over there_."

They did, and Cap came in to help shift him into the bed. Soon enough, Thor was sitting in the armchair nearby, watching Loki sleep, and wondering when he was going to wake. And what Thor was going to say when he did. 

A soft knock on the doorframe announced a visitor and Natasha entered. "Do we need to give fluids?" she asked. "I saw the balcony. He lost a lot of blood, long before you went out there." 

"He can drink when he wakes. We heal swiftly." 

She looked at the still form in the bed, lifted her brows in some skepticism, but gave a little shrug that she wasn't going to argue the point. "And after he wakes?" she asked. "What happens?"

"That ... I do not know," Thor admitted. "We take the tesseract to Asgard, is my plan. I doubt he agrees."

She darted a glance at the door and added quietly, "He shouldn't stay here. Fury warned me; there are some who want him held prisoner."

Alarmed, he met her gaze. "They would dare--"

She held up a hand to stop his incensed declaration. "There aren't a lot of things they wouldn't dare. Director Fury acknowledges his help and that he was under duress, but others don't care. They'll take any excuse to grab an alien. It's happened before," she admitted softly. "So he can't stay here."

"Not until he's well, though," Tony added unexpectedly from the doorway. "I can protect him that long."

With some gratitude Thor looked between them. "Thank you, my friends."

She cast a glance at Loki. "Someone gave me a choice. I'm passing it on." 

She slipped from the room, and Tony lingered, frowning in concern at Loki. "He looks better. But I'm sure he needs rest. There's a room next door if you--"

"I will stay here," Thor cut off the well-meaning offer. "How fares the clean-up?"

"I've got the cube in the lab. We dragged the aliens into cold storage for now. SHIELD is dealing with all the stuff out there," he gestured broadly. "Sounds like, bad as it was, it could've been worse out there."

Thor's eyes fell on Loki's face, recalling a fight on this very tower, and he said softly, "It was." 

"Well, take it easy and let me know if you need anything." 

Thor thanked him, and Tony waved a hand, pulling the door shut behind him.

"What do we do?" Thor murmured to his silent brother. He knew what he ought to do, which was to bring Loki home, but he was pretty sure Loki would resist that. Thor didn't want to force him or take him as a prisoner as had happened last time, but if Loki remembered anything about it from Thor's mind, he would refuse to return for fear of being imprisoned. Perhaps Thor should get word from the All-Father that it was not his intention and instead their parents wanted to welcome him home.

They needed to plan against Thanos. Against Malekith. He'd have to warn Jane not to go wander during the Convergence. Though with Selvig dead, there was no reason for her to go to London, was there?

"Oh brother, I need your clever mind to see us through these tangles," he murmured, patting Loki's limp hand once. "To defeat our enemies. I cannot do this alone." 

Strange had been right to warn him about the burden of knowing the future. It was a lot to ponder.

Loki woke an hour later, longer than Thor hoped, but it was good to see his eyes flicker open. He tensed, eyes widening with fear, as he saw unfamiliar surroundings, and Thor leaned closer. "Loki, it is all right." 

His heart felt tight in his chest to see Loki waking like a child after a nightmare. It was not Thor or the Avengers he feared, but Thanos and his 'Children' taking him back. It was hard to see, realizing Loki had felt that during everything that had happened to them and he had said nothing before Thanos' ship had intercepted the _Statesman_. Thor had seen nothing, but he knew now he hadn't been looking either. He had to swallow, as it occurred to him that Loki had _let _the Kursed One stab him on Svartalfheim, seeking an escape from the fears that consumed him. 

He curled a hand over Loki's to press it in comfort. "We are in a room at Stark Tower. Banner helped mend your wounds and you are healing. Can you take a little water?" he asked, but did not wait for an answer, sliding his arm beneath Loki's head to raise it enough and holding the cup to his lips with the other.

Loki gripped the cup for himself, but Thor still needed to hold it steady as he drank. Thor pulled it away and Loki's hand fell to his chest. "There, that should help. You should have more later. How do you feel?" 

"Fine," he answered, his voice hollow. It could not be true, but Thor didn't press him, letting him take his time. Loki shut his eyes and looked lost. Defeated. Too weary to pretend anything else, though Thor expected him to try.

Until then, he thought he should try the sincere words he had been preparing.

"What can I say to convince you?" Thor asked quietly. "Do you need to see the memory of the wizard telling me how it is your help I need, not your death?"

Loki's eyes restlessly sought the corner of the room, avoiding Thor's. "I know you believe it. I know you believe him. I just ..." He lifted the hand of his unbandaged arm to gesture aimlessly, as if trying to grab words that faded away, "... I cannot imagine what help I can be?"

Thor looked at him, surprised into momentary silence by the quiet admission. He remembered the dreamscape, and Loki's conviction that he was weak. "You killed a command Outrider and several more, alone. You closed the Portal, saving New York and possibly all of Midgard. You have your own power, and now you have one of the Infinity Stones. And I was just saying when you were asleep that I need your help to untangle these skeins of the future. I know what we must prevent but I don't know how. Your quick mind and knowledge are necessary to understand it all."

He waited for the inevitable 'because your brains are all in your hammer' or the like, but it didn't come. Instead Loki's expression remained the same as before - doubting and bleak. Praising his strength, no matter how true, was not reaching him. What else could he say? 

Then it hit him that he knew one of the reasons Loki doubted himself, and that had happened _before _Thanos. The Mad Titan had widened a crack, but the crack had already been there, visible in the mad rage of a broken Observatory bridge and an attempt to destroy Jotunheim.

Thor's half-smile faded and he took Loki's cold hand between his own. "I understand, as I didn't before, what a blow it was to learn the truth of your blood." Loki tried to yank his hand free, but Thor held tight. "And I know you will not believe me when I say this but I implore you to consider it - your blood is _important,_ Loki." 

He frowned up at Thor, caught off-guard when he'd expected the usual 'you're still you, still my brother' that Thor had told him so many times before. 

"I believe there is a reason out of the millions of timelines, that the answer is you," he explained. "My brother, their son, Asgard magic but also Jotunheim's. A child of two Realms. It makes you not less, but more."

Loki shook his head in denial before Thor had even finished. "A Frost Runt, abandoned by his own kind and then abandoned again by the ones who raised it," he spat bitterly.

It was Thor's turn to shake his head in desperate negation, aghast at the words. "No... never." 

Loki grabbed the pillow under his head with a white-knuckled fist and flung it across the room in sparking fury. "No one came!" The words were torn from his throat and his eyes were wet. Half-sitting upright, he could barely breathe as his chest heaved and the fury fell back into softer pain. "No one came. And I knew," his voice cracked, "I knew I was abandoned again."

Thor surged forward, unable to bear it, and gathered Loki against his chest. Loki squirmed but without much strength, so Thor kept holding him. "No, no, we looked. We did. Mother looked everyday; she never believed you were dead. But no one could find you." He tightened his embrace so Loki would _know_ he meant every word. "I would have come for you, I swear. No matter what stood in my way." 

Loki's hands were like claws on his shoulders, as he shuddered and gasped for breath.

"But now I found you," Thor murmured. "I have you, Loki, I promise. I won't let you fall again." 

It took what seemed to be a long time, but really was only a minute or so, that Loki's ragged breaths were hot on his shoulder and Thor held him. He tilted his head against his brother's and waited patiently, offering his support and his love for as long as Loki wanted.

He calmed down, inhaling deeper breaths and getting back under control, but he didn't raise his head or push away. "Thor," he murmured into Thor's neck, "do you really believe we have a chance?"

"I believe," he answered as honestly as he could so Loki would know he meant every word, "this is our only chance. I was sent back to save you, so you could save us. Or we could all save us all, I am not certain exactly how victory will occur, but I believe this is our only chance to find it." 

Letting out a soft sigh, as if releasing all his doubt, Loki raised his head from Thor's shoulder. His eyes were still wet and reddened, but seemed filled with a new resolution as he straightened. He winced as the movement pulled on tender flesh, but remained upright as he looked Thor in the face. "Do you know how much I want that bastard dead?"

"Get in line," Thor teased, and was rewarded when Loki's lips quirked in a brief smile.

Then he picked up a corner of the sheet to wipe his face, and afterward clutched the sheet into a wad, looking down. "Thank you," he murmured, throat working to force the words out. "You have so much more to be upset--"

Thor touched his hand. "Loki, it's not a competition to be miserable. Helping you is why I'm here. Because I failed to last time and I know to put that right, at least."

"Still. So much more loss."

"So let's change it. I don't want to live it again. None of it. Not losing you. Our family. Asgard. Our people. My friends. So many...." He couldn't even count those he knew who were gone, and the unknown billions beyond that, eliminated in the Snap. That horrible emptiness yawned before him again, too much loss untethering him from his own life until Strange had told him there might be a way out.

Graceful fingers wrapped his wrist, recalling him to the present. "You won't have to," Loki murmured. "We will change it. Whatever I can do to help, it's yours." 

"Good. I'm glad." Thor glanced up, relieved and then more pleased when Loki's little smirk returned.

"So you need _my _help. You are admitting you need my help," he said in that familiar taunting drawl. "Please note this for history."

Thor shook his head in rueful amusement. "I have missed you." Then he stood and offered his hand. "Come, you have laid abed for long enough. We have much to do." 

Loki's hand gripped his wrist and Thor hauled him from the bed. Standing in only his smallclothes, he looked too slim, and the large bandage on his left side and the wrap around his waist to hold it was a stark reminder that he'd nearly perished. But he was alive. Thor nearly hugged him again just for that, but Loki shut his eyes. Clothes formed around him, emerald and gold fire becoming a black Midgardian suit with a green shirt.

Thor raised his eyebrows. "You don't have to conjure anything. Stark has clothes."

Loki scoffed. "I can manage."

"And call your weapons if needed." 

"Well, that, too." He snapped out a hand, dagger appearing in it, then he pulled it closer to his face to frown at the blade. "I need a sword."

Thor stared at him in utter disbelief. "I'm sorry, what? A sword?" Loki hadn't carried a long bladed weapon in more than a century, always claiming that if he couldn't handle an opponent with his magic and daggers, a sword would be no help either.

Loki heaved a sigh as if this was against his will to admit. "Something. The Outriders nearly killed me because I lacked a longer weapon. The Gem killed them, but it requires uncomfortable proximity. As you noticed, they have a long reach." A feral little smile grew and his hand tightened on the dagger's hilt. "And besides, those Black Order children think they know weapons. I did not spend five hundred years miserable in Freyr's class for nothing."

"That... is a change," Thor managed to say. "You, a sword." 

Loki ignored his astonishment, pondering, "Maybe two. Then I could use the same forms Mother taught me. Or perhaps a halberd? I rather liked the scepter." 

Mind racing, Thor wondered - did this change everything? Anything? What did this mean that Loki was considering weaponry now?

But Thor thought he should encourage it, because it was a significant change from before. "Yes, I think that is an excellent idea. We would need to go to Asgard for suitable weapons." 

Loki's jaw clenched and his eyes flicked away, humor abruptly fled. "I - I don't know. They _lied _to me, Thor. For my whole life. How do I pretend it's all fine now?"

"You don't have to." Thor set a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. "Talk to them. I know communication has not been our family's strength, but it's time that changed." Past time, truly, but better late than never.

Loki eyed him. "And he won't throw me in the dungeon? Yes, I remember that from your memories." 

Thor hid a grimace, wishing that had been forgotten. "I will not let him." When Loki's look doubted that would make much of a difference, Thor added, "You are already a different person, and he has no cause to imprison the savior of New York." 

Flicking his eyes to the ceiling at Thor's grandiose claim, he put the dagger away with a twist of his wrist. His hum was non-committal but at least it wasn't an outright rejection.

"We need to bring the tesseract to Asgard," Thor reminded him. "It should not stay here."

"Someone has it safe, right?" Loki asked, frowning. "I know I did not remove it from the device." 

"Tony contrived a vessel for it. You still possess the Mind Gem, yes?"

Loki pulled it from its hiding place to display it in his palm before tucking it away again behind the dimension veil. "I do. Safe and sound. Shall we? I believe I have gratitude to render."

He headed for the door, Thor on his heels. The patient voice of the AI guided them to the main floor, where Thor found the others gathered. The outer balcony had been cleared.

Clint and Natasha were not present, but Steve and Bruce were talking on the couches, while Tony was busy at the corner communications. Or he was until he noticed the new arrivals. "Sleeping Beauty awakens!" He whistled. "Whoa, where did the Gucci come from? That's a great suit."

Thor valiantly did not smile at the rather preening way Loki tossed his hair. "I wish to thank you, Tony Stark, for the use of your facility, and you, Doctor, for your skills."

"You're welcome," Tony said. "You want to try a drink again? Since you kinda missed the last one." 

"Certainly." This time when Tony slid the two crystalline tumblers down the length of the bar, Loki grabbed his. 

"No smashing the cups," Thor reminded him. "It is not their way." 

"Of course not. They aren't barbarians, Thor."

Tony snickered at that. "What do we toast to?" Tony asked, moving near with his own glass held out. "To the team? We were thinking of calling it the Avengers. Nick's idea, not mine."

Loki hesitated. "I -- I was your enemy," he reminded Tony quietly.

Tony shrugged. "Nobody's perfect." He clinked his glass against Loki's. "Avenger." When he still didn't drink, Tony said, "Two assassins, a supersoldier, a guy who got mad and broke Harlem, your brother, and me. Nobody here can throw stones." He pondered and added, "Well, all of us can throw stones, technically. That's not really a great saying."

Loki smiled. "I know what you meant." With a quick decisiveness, he drained the cup. "Excellent. Speaking of, where _are _the assassins?"

"Trying to keep SHIELD off my back. Some people are very interested in both you and the tesseract. And not in a good way." 

Loki tapped his fingers against his empty glass, holding it out when Tony offered to pour him another from the decanter. "I see. Barton did inform me that SHIELD has a division more concerned with experimentation than polite medical treatment." 

Steve and Bruce had gathered to accept the glasses Tony offered, and Steve said, "We would never let them take you, just so you know. Not after all you did to help." 

"I appreciate the sentiment," he said, "but I should not put you in that position against the might of your military. It seems fate wills that I go back to Asgard." He stared into the amber liquid before tossing off the mood with a quick smile and change of subject. "Thor said you have the tesseract in containment?" 

Tony pointed down with his free hand. "In the lab. I kind of want to keep it around. Just to play with it." 

Steve shook his head. "It was nothing but trouble before, and it's nothing but trouble now."

"I know, I know, but ... it makes the ARC reactor a toy. Do you know what I could do with it?"

Steve folded his arms. "Schmidt made disintegrator weapons." 

"Okay, Spangles, be a drag." Tony groaned and faced Loki. "What do you need to take it out of here? Do you need to rebuild the device? Because I kept all the parts."

Loki shook his head. "No, we can transport ourselves without the mechanism."

"How?" Bruce asked. "The tesseract as a power source, that much is obvious, but then what?" 

Half smiling, Loki explained, "I bind dark energy to seidr and rip open the fabric of the universe." His smile widened at the sight of Bruce and Tony's expressions-- eager, amazed, curious. "You'll see. It will not be as impressive as the Bifrost. But...." His gaze roamed across his surroundings, and he gnawed on his lip in thought. "Not in the Tower, I think. It will be safer on open ground." 

"Central Park is close by. Best I can offer for open ground." 

"All right, then we should gather there. And go," he said but didn't move. 

"Loki?" Thor prompted, when Loki's gaze went distant. 

"I can feel it," he murmured. A frown drew his brows together, and he closed his eyes to slits, extending power that Thor felt on his skin. "The shift in time. You couldn't return to the future you came from. It no longer exists." His gaze met Thor's, brow knitted in worry, but Thor was unconcerned. 

"Good. There was nothing for me there." He called Mjolnir back to his hand. "Let's go home." Now that the time drew near, he found himself excited to see it again. Asgard was still there, and his friends and parents were alive. 

And of course, so was his sister, but that was going to be a conversation his father was not going to want to have. He was going to need both his mother and Loki for that one.

Naturally Loki's enthusiasm was lacking, more a resignation to the inevitable, but Thor hoped going back would help him, as well. He clapped a hand on Loki's shoulder to remind him of his support. 

Drawing a deep breath, Loki nodded agreement. "It's time." 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The eagle-eyed among you may have already noticed that I changed the name a bit, since we're heading toward the end of this tale, but there's definitely more planned.

* * *

In Stark's lab, Loki examined the handled cylinder Stark had used to house the tesseract. The leaded glass did nothing to block his sense of its dark energy, which was a torrent, but at least it shielded some of the lesser energies enough to dim its cobalt glow.

There was a strange irony knowing he was going to have to handle it, when he'd tried not to, and take it to Asgard, where he did not wish to return. But when had the Norns ever given him what he wanted?

"Natasha and Barton are waiting for us at the security room on three," Stark said. "We should meet them. I'm tempted to call a helicopter if SHIELD's gonna be pissy about this. But I don't know if they have birds up already."

Which all seemed like a lot of trouble. "I only need the sidewalk," Loki told him. 

Stark waved that sharply away. "I'm not gonna let these thugs trap me and my friends in my own tower," Tony insisted, glowering irritably. 

For a moment Loki felt a soft warmth in his chest, before realizing of course Stark wasn't including _him _in 'friends'. How could he? Ally perhaps, since he'd labeled Loki an 'Avenger', but that wasn't a friend. 

To distract himself from the spike of bitter realization, he took hold of the containment device and banished it to the same pocket dimension as the Mind Gem. They would resist being so close together, but for now, he could manage.

The mortals watched with unabashed curiosity, and Stark reached out to touch where the device had been to confirm his sight. "I gotta know how you do that." 

"I needed three hundred years to learn. I think we do not have enough time," Loki told him, a little dryly. 

"I'm a quick study," Stark retorted, but after a glance at the monitors, barked a laugh. "We might not have three hours, so let's get going. We're going to go to Central Park. And if I have to get Ellis on the line to call off the dogs, I will. C'mon, Shakespeare-in-the-Park," he prompted when Loki was slow to follow.

"You feeling all right?" Banner asked him quietly, eyes soft with concern.

"I am well," Loki answered. He meant for it to sound merely polite, but it emerged sounding stiff and false, and he had to add, "Thank you." 

Banner patted his shoulder and headed into the corridor.

Stark led the way, and Loki trailed after. The pain in his side bothered him less than the sickening sensation that all of these mortals and Thor had been witness to his fall. The great threat they had imagined him to be, between his arrival with the scepter and allowing himself to be taken to the Helicarrier, had turned out to be no threat at all. 

Which was why Thor's insistence that he could help defeat Thanos -- or more laughable still, that he was _necessary _to defeat Thanos-- was absurd. Indefensible. The one who had been in thrall to him, the one who had fallen in his clutches and feared going back was no kind of threat to Thanos at all. 

But still, he owed Thor so he would do what he could, however pathetic it might be. 

In the security office, which appeared to be a room with visual displays monitoring the entrances of the building, the spider and the archer were waiting. Barton gave him a look then turned away, his uncertainty sublimated into anger. Natasha folded her arms and addressed Stark. "Squad at the main entrance, another group at the back lower side. All answering straight up to the World Council. Nick is not happy." 

Stark grimaced. "Great. Maybe the helo is the better idea." 

Barton shook his head. "Flight interdicted over Manhattan already." 

Stark rubbed a hand on his chin, smoothing his facial hair. "Shit. Someone's determined."

"They cannot stop you and I," Thor pointed out. "I can carry Loki." 

Loki shot him a look that dared him to try it. He was not going to be carried like a sack of grain, if he could at all help it. 

Banner's mouth twisted and he shook his head. "Maybe you should. Space aliens aren't covered by the Geneva Convention, are they?"

"Screw that," Rogers declared. "This whole 'living legend' thing has to be good for something. Tony, call the papers. I'll go out, you with me, and they won't dare touch us once I say what Loki helped to do." 

Loki was rather amused that the person he had fought in Stuttgart not long ago was now going to cover him from his own people. 

"We could go to the train station, take the subway," Natasha suggested. "That's what I would do."

Stark shook his head. "Constant surveillance down there. JARVIS could hack it, but it'd take time. What if...." he pointed to one of the monitors. "They're not at the garage exit on Park. Because they think they can box that in at the outlet. But they're not me."

Natasha was the only one who understood what he was suggesting. "You want to race on Park Avenue?"

He shrugged. "They're already blocking traffic for us. And there's a giant dead creature on Fifth blocking the west."

"If we travel in multiple vehicles, I can make it look as if they all contain me," Loki suggested. "That way SHIELD could not target only one." 

"Ooh, disguise. Make it look like you're driving, too. I like it," Stark agreed with enthusiasm. "I've always wanted to do the Italian Job in Manhattan. I've got three cars. Who's in? Come on, it'll be fun."

Barton stood up, and immediately everyone turned to look at him, surprised. Loki himself was even more so. "You would?" 

Barton didn't meet his eyes. "I'm still mad. I think I still might hate you. But I also don't want you to get taken apart in a cage."

Natasha offered, "I'll drive the third." 

"Against SHIELD?" Banner asked. "Your own people." 

Natasha's smile was small but delightfully wicked. "That's how I know I can take them." 

"Alright. Bruce, you're with us. If we get stuck, you're making a path," Stark said. "Steve, Thor, you ride in the other cars. Loki, you're with me." 

They all followed to the parking level and the three small sleek automobiles in designated spaces. "Pepper drives that one," he tossed the fob to Romanoff, then another to Barton, who snagged it out of the air without looking.

"Wait," Loki said as they started to break up. He inhaled, ignoring the lingering pain, and cast the illusion to push it out and extend over all of them. 

"Whoa," that was, thankfully, Banner's voice, coming out of one of the illusory Loki's mouths. 

"It's only visual," Loki explained. "Now we're ready." 

One real and six fake Lokis went to the three cars, and Banner hunched out of sight in the tiny back seat of Tony's white Audi. 

"You realize this is quite mad, don't you?" Loki asked as Stark backed out of the slot and headed for the gate. It opened as he approached and he made the turn and accelerated onto the narrow street.

"Story of my life. JARVIS, are we spotted?"

"_Yes, sir. Their radio chatter indicates that your departure was noticed."_

_"_Let's cut that off. No need to make it easy for them." The tires squealed as he made the twist in the road under the neighboring building and down the ramp to where several black vehicles awaited.

The look on his face was focused and his hands on the wheel were tight, as he stomped on the gas and went straight for the narrow gap on the left. With a finesse Loki did not believe possible in primitive vehicles, Stark guided the car through the gap into a half spin, skidding until he was just past the enemy vehicle, and then accelerated with a scream of tires. 

Loki turned to look behind to see one of their cars had followed, while the third one went right instead, making the turn at the cross street. 

"She'll catch up," Stark said grimly, accelerating through the traffic so it looked like they were standing still. He went up on the sidewalk once to get around some abandoned cars, and then made a quick turn followed by another. "JARVIS, we clear?" 

Loki had no idea how the AI in the Tower could know that, but it answered, "_Yes, sir." _

"Connect to the others."

"_Done." _

"This is Tony. Lost our tail, but we're not going to make it to the Met, so turn on 65th. We'll go in there."

"_Got it_," Barton answered over the sound system, echoed by Romanoff a little later. 

They sped through traffic, but Stark seemed in less of a hurry. Banner poked his head up between the two seats. "Have we lost them?" 

"They won't take long to reacquire," Stark answered. "Once they hook into the street cameras, they'll find us, but that'll still take a few minutes. We can make the park I think." 

Banner frowned. "You sure? Roads dead-end in there." 

Stark shrugged. "What are they gonna do? Arrest us? Once the Norsebros are gone, it's over." 

"I would think they have ways of making you sorry," Loki suggested. 

"If they try, I have a copy of everything in the Helicarrier's databanks. I doubt they want that deadman's switch triggered." 

With new appreciation, Loki regarded him and nodded slowly. "Barton underestimated you. I am glad to be no longer your enemy, Tony Stark."

"Backatcha, Horns." He made a sharp turn west and Loki saw the park ahead of him. He had seen it on the map but in person it seemed more extensive than he expected. As did all of this world, really. His few visits in the past centuries had not prepared him for the size of Midgard, or its cities. It was more like Xandar than the primitive villages he recalled.

Stark ignored the 'do not enter' sign to drive on the road into the park. Fortunately it seemed deserted of pedestrians, likely because of the dead aliens littering the city, he realized, as he saw two dead Chitauri on the ground. 

"Heading for Bethesda Terrace," Stark said. "Tell the other cars, JARVIS." 

"If necessary, Thor can fly to us. We need not wait for them."

"We're fine. Nobody's pinged us yet. Maybe they gave up to deal with the aliens."

"And the tech. SHIELD isn't too big on letting that into other hands," Banner added.

Stark swerved around one lone jogger, blissfully uncaring that his city had been invaded by aliens, and then pulled up in front of a flat area overlooking a garden and large fountain space. Loki removed the illusions, figuring they were unnecessary, and climbed out of the car.

A second car pulled up for Romanoff and Rogers, and then soon after Barton and Thor. Barton was irate as he slammed the door. "You beat me here? How did you beat me here when you went _east_?" he demanded, and she just smirked at him. 

Loki's gaze met Thor's, and Thor asked, as he came to join Loki at the concrete rail, "Are you ready?" 

There was enough view of the city from here to see the towers and note the ones damaged by the battle. The sight made something twist in Loki's middle, that he'd helped that happen. If he'd never come here, it wouldn't have happened. Selvig wouldn't be dead, and whoever else was out there dead because Loki had opened a Portal to take an Infinity Stone and wound up with two. 

He couldn't stay, so he would go. But was he ready? No. He wasn't ready to return to the place he had spent so long in the shadow he'd thought becoming the shadow would be better than nothing. But it would also be safer than either this Realm or somewhere farther away, though he didn't want to hide behind Gungnir either, and not when he knew he'd done it already in the other timeline. 

But he couldn't say any of that, not in front of the mortals certainly, and stepped away from the rail. "I am. Are you?" 

"I am." Thor hung Mjolnir off his wrist by the strap and raised his other hand to the others. "Until next time, my friends. Be safe. Clint Barton, remember what I told you." Loki frowned at them both, curious, especially when Barton nodded very somberly with his own glance at Steve Rogers.

"If you need us," Loki added, "speak my name." He added with emphasis at Stark, "Not any of your other appellations. But I will hear, and if possible, I will come." 

"Sure thing, Prancer." 

Loki thought it was likely a reference to something mocking, so he ignored it. Ultimately Midgardian culture meant nothing to him. He had one last thing to say, facing Natasha. "I think ledgers are the wrong metaphor. You made a choice, and so have I, and it is to the future we must look, not the past. There is great evil out there and you are needed to fight it."

She listened unblinking, taking it in, and gave a nod that she understood what he was saying, and probably more than he meant to tell her. 

He called the containment vessel back to his hands. "Grab hold." Thor gripped the other end, waiting. With the power of the tesseract it was not difficult to seize its dark energy and weave it with seidr, readying the transfer. 

There was the sound of vehicles approaching, and Loki waited until the first had come into view before he yanked the thread to send them on their way. 

To Asgard.


End file.
